Resume Tips for College Students and Graduates

When you're a college student or recent graduate, it can be a challenge to figure out what to include on your resume. After all, most college students don't have an extensive employment history. Employers know that, however, so they don't expect to see a lengthy list of jobs.

But just because you are at the beginning of your career doesn’t mean that you don’t have significant accomplishments to include in your resume. Along with paid employment, you can list volunteering, summer jobs, internships, coursework, and school activities.

Read below for advice on how to write a resume as a college student or graduate, along with lists of resume examples for college students and graduates.

What to Include in Your Resume

If you're not sure what to include, do some brainstorming about all of your past experiences, including work-related positions, volunteering, academic experience, campus leadership positions, extracurricular activities, internships, and any awards or special recognition you may have received.

After creating your list, look back at the job post or postings you are applying for — your goal here is to match your experience with the job requirements. Circle the experiences and skills on your brainstormed list of experience that relate directly to the job (or jobs) you have targeted. Incorporate those circled items into your resume. You can elaborate on some of these experiences in a bulleted list under each one.

Resume Examples for College Students and Graduates

Use a resume example or a resume template to guide your own writing. A resume example can help you decide what kind of content to include, as well as how to format your resume. However, be sure to tailor a resume example to fit your own experiences, and the job you are applying for.

Rehired by management in recognition of punctuality, attention to detail, and excellent work ethic.

Academic Resume Tip: Highlight Your Education

If you have limited work and extracurricular experience, you can emphasize your academic history. Put the “Education” section of your resume at the top of your resume so that it is the first thing the employer sees. Along with the name of your school and degree, include any achievements, such as a high GPA or any academic awards (such as making the Dean’s List). If you have taken courses related to the job you’re applying for or completed school projects that required skills related to the job, list those as well.

How to Organize Your Resume

Based on your experiences, you might choose to divide your resume into different categories, such as “Work History,” “Volunteer Experience,” “Relevant Coursework,” and more. If you do not have much relevant experience, you might put all of these under the same category of “Related Experience.”

You can also create a “Skills” section of your resume to highlight skills you have gained throughout your experiences. For example, if you are applying for a job as a computer programmer, you might list the programming languages you are familiar with under the “Skills” section of your resume.

How to Review Your Resume

If you can, have someone from your campus career office, or perhaps an alumnus in the field that you are interested in, take a look at your resume to make sure that you have included as much pertinent information as possible. This person can also read through your resume to spot any errors, including grammar and spelling errors, and issues with the format of your resume.

Resumes Listed by Type

Review more sample resumes and resume templates for college students and graduates applying for internships, summer jobs, and full-time positions to get ideas for your own resume.